You’ve probably considered taking creatine to boost your gym gains.
Creatine supplements are well-researched and incredibly popular in the health and fitness industry. Its clinically proven benefits for boosting exercise performance, muscle growth, post-exercise recovery, and more, make creatine the gold standard for fitness supplements.
Creatine increases adenosine triphosphate, the high-energy molecule in your muscle tissue that leads to increased exercise capacity, including the ability to perform high-intensity exercise for longer durations.
This can also subsequently aid in increasing muscle growth. It’s no wonder it’s so popular.
Natural vs. Artificial Flavors
You can find creatine supplements in many forms including pills, tablets, and gummies but powders are among the most popular. As with any dietary supplement, many of these products include flavoring that can be artificial or natural to make them more appealing to the consumer.
What’s the difference? Artificial flavorings are man-made compounds that might be associated with adverse health risks ranging from metabolic disorders, mental health disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, heart disease, and more [1, 2].
Natural flavors are chemical flavoring compounds extracted directly from plants or animals however this typically requires a lot of processing and is more costly than using artificial ones. While the chemical composition can be the same or similar, the potential health implications of these man-made flavoring agents are still not well understood [3].
Taste and Palatability
While unflavored varieties of creatine powder are incredibly versatile, not everyone has something they can mix it in that will be palatable and unfortunately, the true taste of creatine is just not very good.
This is why flavored powder tends to be a more popular choice, especially for those looking for a quick or portable option they can just mix with water.
If you have a well-flavored nutrition supplement, you are more likely to be consistent with taking it versus trying to choke down one that tastes like salty chalk. Consistency with creatine supplements is crucial in seeing results so it’s important to choose a product that has a pleasant taste so you want to take it.
Absorption and Effectiveness
While the flavoring of creatine supplements shouldn’t impact the effectiveness of the product itself, it may impact digestion.
The argument between natural and artificial flavors is complex and ongoing. Unfortunately, the research is just not clear enough on this as of yet, however, it’s believed that artificial flavorings may harm gut health and digestion.
While this is still not well understood, researchers have found that these additives have the potential to alter the diversity of your gut bacteria which can lead to digestive and absorption challenges. This means it has the potential to impact the absorption of things like creatine [4, 5].
Does taking creatine with artificial sweeteners added mean that it won’t be as effective as one that has natural or no sweeteners added? There’s just not enough research to know for sure but it doesn’t hurt to err on the side of caution.
Health Benefits of Natural Flavors
There’s currently no clinical proof that natural flavorings in food and supplement products are healthier than artificial flavorings; however, the health risk may be lower since they come from natural sources.
Additionally, natural flavors have the potential to contain beneficial compounds such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties depending on their source.
For example, fruit and vegetable juices can be used as a natural flavoring agent and can contain additional vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants compared to synthetic additives. The same goes for spices. While flavorings are not added to products to boost the nutrient content, they can be a bonus in some cases.
Choosing the Right Fruit-Flavored Creatine
If you are interested in using a creatine powder that contains natural flavors such as fruit juice, be sure to read your supplement labels diligently. It can be hard to determine what exactly is added to a product, especially when it may be labeled as “natural flavors.” Look for ingredients that provide more specific detail.
For example, Naked Nutrition’s strawberry-flavored creatine monohydrate powder is flavored using real fruit juice from strawberries and fermented cane sugar to give it it’s delicious flavor. On the supplement label, it states exactly that so there is no confusion.
Bottom Line
Additives that come from natural sources, such as plants or animals, are always going to be a better option with less health risk than manufactured additives. While the differences nutritionally are not significant, your body will better react to products of nature.
Whether you are choosing a food or a nutrition supplement like creatine powder, it’s important to be informed about flavorings and other additives that may be lurking in your food. Remember that there is no concrete evidence that artificial flavorings should be a concern, particularly for those who don’t consume them often; however, it remains a gray area.
Choosing products flavored with natural ingredients, such as fruit juice, can help provide you peace of mind that you know exactly what is in your food or supplement. So why not take an extra peek at that label to make sure you are making the best choice for you?